Jordan: Crusaders, Traders & Raiders

Group Tour | RA art tours

8 Days & 7 Nights• From £2,065

In the centenary year of the great
Arab revolt, travel with expert lecturer
and archaeologist Dr Faulkner who,
as co-director of a pioneering series
of excavations into TE Lawrence, has
exclusive behind-the-scenes access
to sites not open to the wider public.
Jordan is one of history’s crossroads
and battlegrounds, and this tour
encompasses the entire range of its
heritage and culture.

The Cox & Kings highlights

Exclusive visit to newly discovered sites of Lawrence of Arabia’s war

Visit the new Museum at the Lowest Place on Earth

Three nights in Petra, including a specially arranged candle-lit dinner near the city

2017 Standard group from £2,065

Standard group tour in brief

Fly from London Heathrow to Amman with
Royal Jordanian Airways. Transfer to the Amman
Marriott Hotel for 3 nights. (N)

Day 2: Jerash

Drive north through the hills of biblical Gilead
for a full day’s tour of Jerash, one of the
most beautiful and best-preserved provincial
Roman cities in the Middle East. Welcome
dinner. (B, D)

Day 3: Amman • Desert castles

Explore the ancient citadel of Amman, including
the archaeological museum, the splendid
Roman theatre and the Jordan Museum. Drive
into the eastern desert to Azraq, a Roman fort
rebuilt in the 13th century and later used by
TE Lawrence. Visit the early Islamic Umayyad
castle of Kharana and the baths complex at
Amra, home to the most outstanding wall
paintings of the period. (B)

Day 4: To Petra • Madaba • Mount Nebo •
Shobak castle

Drive along the King’s Highway to Madaba,
renowned for its Byzantine mosaics. Visit the
Greek Orthodox Church of St George, which
contains the famous sixth-century mosaic map
of Palestine, and the archaeological park, with
the Church of the Virgin and the Hippolytus
Hall. Stop at Mount Nebo and see the Moses
Memorial Church and its fine floor mosaics.
Continue to little-known Shobak castle, an
early 12th-century crusader castle built by King
Baldwin I of Jerusalem to guard the road from
Egypt to Damascus. Drive to Petra and stay 3
nights at the Petra Marriott Hotel. (B)

Day 5: Petra

Enjoy a full-day’s exploration of Petra, the
remote desert stronghold of the Nabatean
Arabs. Walk through the Siq, the narrow gorge
leading into the city, to the Treasury, with its
stunning Hellenistic facade. Continue past the
theatre, carved out of solid rock, to see tombs,
temples and churches. Visit Al Deir monastery,
a whole mountainside carved into a temple
overlooking Wadi Araba and the largest of
Petra’s monuments. Evening visit by candlelight
to Petra. (B, L)

Day 6: Wadi Rum • Batn Al-Ghoul

In the morning, drive to Wadi Rum. From
there, travel by 4x4 along the route taken by
Lawrence of Arabia and bedouin guerrillas
across the desert to attack the Hejaz railway.
Visit wartime sites, newly discovered by a
British archaeological team, including an
overnight campsite used by Lawrence, tented
encampments used by the Turks, and the
blockhouses and breastworks of fortified
stations and hilltop redoubts. Lunch today will
be at a bedouin camp. (B, L)

Day 7: To the Dead Sea • Little Petra • Wadi
Araba

Morning visit to the less well-known and peaceful
Little Petra. Continue through spectacular
mountain scenery to Wadi Araba and climb
up to the Sanctuary of Lot, which contains the
cave where Lot and his daughters took refuge
from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Visit the new Museum at the Lowest Place on
Earth, which explains the geological, human and
ecological history of the Dead Sea. Drive to the
Jordan Valley Marriott Resort & Spa for 1 night.
Farewell dinner. (B, D)

Day 8: Fly to London

Transfer to Amman airport and fly to London
Heathrow with Royal Jordanian Airways. (B)

Meal basis

As per itinerary – B: Breakfast,
L: Lunch, D: Dinner, N: No meals.

Important information

Royal Academy of Arts (RA) tours

A collection of expert-accompanied tours
focusing on creativity in its many forms. All RA
tours are open to everyone and can be viewed
at coxandkings.co.uk/ra.

Superior tour

Typically based in 4- and 5-star
accommodation.

Expert-led tour

This tour is fully escorted
throughout by the lecturer, as well as an
experienced local tour manager.

Accessibility

This tour involves walking over
rough terrain and bumpy drives in the desert.
At Petra, visiting the Monastery requires a steep
climb of 800 rock-cut steps.

Expert lecturer

Dr Neil Faulkner is an
archaeologist who works
as a freelance editor,
writer, lecturer and
excavator. He is a research
fellow at Bristol University,
a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, the
editor of Military Times, and co-director of
several archaeological field projects.

Tour detail

Standard group tour accommodation

This renowned 5-star hotel is located in one of the capital's busiest centres, Shmeissani, with easy access to all historical sites and points of interest. All the rooms are equipped with facilities and amenities for business and leisure travellers alike. The Amman Marriott also offers a variety of dining options to suit all tastes, and a fully equipped health club with indoor and outdoor...

The Jordan Valley Marriott Dead Sea Resort & Spa is a stunning property located on the east shore of the Dead Sea. The hotel has 205 air-conditioned rooms, the majority of which are sea facing, each with satellite television, telephone and 24 hour room service. Hotel facilities include several dining outlets, a large series of swimming pools and an extensive Spa offering a variety of...

Overlooking the dramatic Petra valley and located only 5 minutes' drive from the site of Petra, the Petra Marriott Hotel has 100 air-conditioned rooms, each with satellite television, telephone and 24-hour room service. Hotel facilities include an outdoor swimming pool, Turkish bath, bar and restaurant. The hotel's outdoor swimming pool is closed annually during the winter season, from October to...

Tour experts

Dr Neil Faulkner

13 May 2017 - 20 May 2017

Dr Neil Faulknerl is an archaeologist who works as a freelance editor, writer, lecturer and excavator. He is a research fellow at Bristol University, a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, the editor of Military Times, and co-director of several archaeological field projects.

Standard group tour flights

Upgrades & regional air connections

Regional air connections are available from within the UK. Please contact your travel consultant for current prices from your nearest city.
We can also arrange flights from overseas, simply give us a call to find out more.

Important information

If you choose to take the tour without flights arranged through Cox & Kings, please contact one of our travel consultants prior to booking the flights to ensure that you are aware of the tour timings and all the implications of not booking through us. We strongly advise you not to book flights independently of Cox & Kings if significant charges would apply in case of cancellation.

Standard group tour extensions

Dates & prices

This tour can be booked / reserved online by clicking on one of the coloured links below.

JCC2017: 7 Nights

Reviews

My most inspirational moment of my holiday was seeing Petra for the first time and glimpsing the Treasury through the Siq. I had waited a very long time to visit Petra and was not at all disappointed. The sunshine glinting on the sandstone made for a constantly changing view..Mrs Anne Blaseby

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My most inspirational moment of my holiday was seeing Petra for the first time and glimpsing the Treasury through the Siq. I had waited a very long time to visit Petra and was not at all disappointed. The sunshine glinting on the sandstone made for a constantly changing view..Mrs Anne Blaseby

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